


Nevada

by fleurofthecourt



Series: Codas, Tags, and Missing Scenes -- Supernatural [11]
Category: Supernatural
Genre: 2020 United States Presidential Election, First Kiss, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Love Confessions, M/M, November 5 2020, Politics, Post-Episode: s15e18 Despair, crack treated seriously I guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-08
Updated: 2020-11-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 23:55:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,124
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27445234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fleurofthecourt/pseuds/fleurofthecourt
Summary: Dean Winchester processes his emotions at the speed Nevada counts its ballots.
Relationships: Castiel & Jack Kline, Castiel & Jack Kline & Dean Winchester & Sam Winchester, Castiel/Dean Winchester
Series: Codas, Tags, and Missing Scenes -- Supernatural [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/384118
Comments: 42
Kudos: 555
Collections: The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	Nevada

**Author's Note:**

> 1\. This is based off of whatever that high anyone on tumblr got from the confluence of Castiel being canonically in love with Dean and Georgia and Pennsylvania both flipping blue during the ballot counting for the U.S. presidential election of 2020 on November 5, 2020 was. The rumor of Putin's potential resignation was also involved but has no impact on this story. I cackled when I searched Destiel earlier and Putin came up as a search result. 
> 
> 2\. This story is set in the canonically alternative universe of the United States where, as of 2016, Rooney was president.

_Spring 2020_

Dean can’t process. 

It’s too much. 

He stares at the wall. 

He stares at his hands. 

He flips up his phone again, stares at the now black screen, and thinks, maybe, he really should call Sam. 

Sam and Jack both need to know what happened. 

But he’s not even sure what did happen. 

Too many things at once, that’s for damn sure. 

One thing he’s certain, unrelently certain, about, is that Cas is gone. Like, gone gone. 

He clenches his fists together and throws his head into his hands. He can’t take Cas being gone. Not again. He needs him. He needs him right now to get through the hell they’re all in. They need to wade through it all together. Defeat God. Call it a day. 

But Cas... 

Damn it, Cas. Damn it all. 

He folds his head down further towards his knees and wishes there was a bottle of alcohol within his reach because, damn, does he need some. 

He’s pretty sure Cas is gone because...well... because Cas was fucking... _in love_... _with him?_

That couldn’t be right. Could it? 

Why the hell would Cas go and do something dumb like be in love with him? 

Honestly, what idiot would? 

And that idiot being Cas... 

He almost laughs, in a semi hysterical way, but Cas’ words fight with his confusion, his despair. 

All he can see is Cas’ eyes welling with tears as he tells him how much he loves him. Because that was it, right? A love confession? A confession that Cas basically worships the ground he walks on because of how much he cares, how much he loves. 

And that semi hysterical feeling punches him in the gut, because he doesn’t care enough, doesn’t love enough. 

Because if he did, Cas would still be there. Right? 

If he’d caught up with Cas faster, if he’d realized what Cas was saying ... 

He could have... 

He’s honestly not sure what he could have done, what difference it would have made. 

How he could have stopped The Empty. 

Tears steadily flow down his cheek as he lifts his fist and punches it into the floor before drawing back bloodied knuckles. 

He stares at the wall again, then the ceiling, then the phone over and over in methodical order. 

He wishes deals weren’t out. 

He wishes he had Cas’ trenchcoat to hold on to. 

He wishes he had a body to think about burning. 

Something more concrete than an empty room. 

He feels so empty it hurts. 

He presses his hand to the bloody handprint on his jacket and whispers, “Damn it, Cas.” 

XXX 

_Summer 2020_

The Empty is as vast and dark as Castiel remembered. 

He doesn’t understand, though, why he’s awake. 

Why would an ancient cosmic being annoyed by his very existence allow him to be awake? A second time? 

He calls out to the Empty, and it responds with his face. 

“Pity that you’re awake, but, no matter. I’ve learned how to put you back to bed. So, off you go. Your son may try to bring you back, but it won’t work this time.” 

Cas sighs and silently thanks Jack for trying. 

XXX 

_Fall 2020_

God is dead, finally dead. 

Things are not normal, exactly, but Dean knows, at least, that God isn’t pulling his strings. Or Sam’s strings, or Jack’s strings or anyone else’s. Things are as normal as they’re going to get, considering. 

They’re not good. They’re definitely not good. There’s a gaping Cas sized hole filling the bunker. 

Jack’s been trying to bring him back from The Empty the same way he did the first time, using his god level angel radio, basically since God kicked it, but it’s not working. Hope that it will ever work is draining, and Dean is desperate to find another way to get Cas back, whatever it takes. 

That, or to throw himself into every case he can to try to forget about the Cas sized hole that’s not just in the bunker but in his chest. 

The hate and anger that Cas told him wasn’t his driving force, well, he’s pretty sure Cas was wrong. 

All he wants is to break things until they feel as broken as he does. 

XXX 

He walks into Sam’s room in early November with a lead on a vampire den only to find that Sam and Jack, of all things, are watching news about the U.S. presidential election. 

He’s never felt more removed from, possibly, anything. “You know none of us can vote, right?” 

“Well, you definitely can’t. Election day was yesterday. But yeah, we’re all, well...” Sam trails off before turning back to the screen, clearly concerned about setting Dean off. It doesn’t take much these days. Even Dean knows that. 

“Dead,” Dean finishes for him, bitterly. “Yeah.” 

“Rooney was leading last night, but the states that haven’t reported are too close to call,” Sam says, ignoring the elephant he brought in the room. The glaring reminder that their best friend is still gone. 

“Democracy is fascinating,” Jack says, seemingly oblivious, “especially this democracy, Sam’s been telling me how the electoral college works. Rooney could win without winning.” 

“It’s a little more complicated than that,” Sam says as Dean wonders why either of them care, about anything, honestly, but especially this. 

“Well, as thrilling as this is, I’ve got us a case. Looks like vampires, outside Vegas.” 

“Clark County is one of the counties that hasn’t reported,” Jack says. 

Dean gives Jack a blank look before he clarifies, “Las Vegas is in Clark County.”

“Yeah, great, whatever. Meet me outside in ten.” 

XXX 

Jack waits for Dean to leave before turning to Sam. “I’m trying it again. Dean needs him back. It fixed him when I brought Cas back before. I’d never seen Dean so happy.” 

Sam frowns. They’ve been over this several times already. It’s not working, and it hurts them all to keep trying. “Yeah, well, what about you, Jack? Aren’t you tired of trying? You keep getting your hopes up only to have them dashed all over again. I’m sure that’s hard on you.” 

Jack folds his arms across his chest and takes a deep breath. Sam isn’t wrong, but he’s not ready to give up. Not on Cas. Not yet. “I miss him, and I want him back so I’m going to keep trying.” 

But it’s not just that. He thinks he’ll probably be seeking the Winchesters’ forgiveness for the rest of time, especially Dean’s. No matter what he does to help them, he’s not sure he’ll ever feel he’s atoned for Mary’s death. No matter how many times they say he’s forgiven. 

Bringing Cas back helped Dean so much before, and all he wants to do is help them. Help Dean. 

“But, it’s different for me, Sam. Cas was my father, and he knew, or, I hope he knew, that I loved him.” 

“He knew,” Sam says. 

“But Dean...Dean doesn’t have that. Cas doesn’t know that Dean loves him. I’m not sure Dean knows he loves Cas. But he does, doesn’t he?” 

Sam huffs. “Yeah, yeah, I’ve told you before, he does. He just ... Dean’s a little dense about things sometimes.” 

“But he needs to tell Cas. That will fix him. I’m sure of it.” 

XXX 

The drive to Nevada is long. They almost run out of gas before hitting Denver, and after Denver, the cassette deck goes on the fritz. 

Dean refuses to let Sam or Jack play music off their phones, so instead he’s stuck listening to an endless and needless update on the current ballot count of several swing states. Pennsylvania, then Georgia, then Nevada, then back to Pennsylvania. 

He silently decides to go along with their support of Lucy Hernadez. He tries not to overthink that they’ve mentioned her pro-LGBTQ platform several times. That’s important for the gay people he knows. Charlie. Claire. 

His brain traitorously adds Cas to the list, and he grips the steering wheel too hard. They almost veer off the road, and Sam yells at him to watch it. 

“Something in the road,” Dean mutters. 

Neither Jack nor Sam point out that there’s nothing in sight. 

They’re an hour outside of Las Vegas when Sam informs Jack that Georgia flipped blue at the same time as a phone inside the glove box starts ringing. 

Sam opens the glove box and throws five cells on the ground before getting to the one that’s ringing. The caller ID reads _Cas_ and Dean’s heart stops. 

He immediately pulls off to the side of the road. “Where is he, Sam?” 

Sam answers the phone, puts it on speaker, and it immediately goes to dial tone. 

“Where is he?” 

Sam keeps trying to call back, but there’s no answer. 

XXX 

Hope and doubt pervades the car. 

With no other direction to go, they inch closer to Las Vegas as Jack informs them, with no particular enthusiasm that Pennsylvania has also flipped blue. 

Then the impossible happens. 

The phone rings again, and the caller ID reads _Paradise, NV_

The bubble of hope collectively rises, and Sam hits the speaker button. 

They wait, and they’re all rewarded with Cas’ gravelly voice crackling in the background. “Hello, Dean? I hope you still have this phone...” 

“Yeah, buddy, we read you loud and clear. Are you really in Paradise?” 

“Paradise? No, Dean, I was...” 

“No, Cas, the city. Paradise, Nevada.” 

“Oh, um, I’m not sure. This is a pay phone.” 

“We’re coming to get you right now. But we got to know where you are.” 

There’s shuffling on the other end of the line. He hears Cas speaking with someone else before he returns. “Yes, I’m unironically in Paradise.” 

“We’re not too far. Uh, hang tight?” 

XXX 

Dean speeds the whole way down the length of the interstate and bangs his horn empathically as he drives through frustratingly slow traffic outside Paradise. 

There are crowds of what appear to be protesters holding signs stating, “Count the Votes.” 

“Isn’t that just how voting works? What the hell are these morons doing?” Dean asks. “They’re in my way.” 

Sam shakes his head. “Apparently that’s not how Rooney thinks.” 

“Great. That’s just great. A wannabe dictator is preventing me from getting to Cas.”

“Wait, Dean, stop!” Jack shouts from the back. “I see him!” 

And Dean sees, to his utter shock, Castiel standing in the middle of the crowd holding a sign covered in rainbows stating “Lucy Hernadez for president!” 

Cas sees them, lowers the sign, and waves, a thin smile lighting up his eyes. 

Dean doesn’t even take the keys from the ignition as he practically rolls out of the car and runs to Cas. 

He doesn’t stop. He doesn’t think. 

He sprints across the parking lot, shoving multiple people out of his way. 

He gets to Cas and wraps his arms around him and before he can even process what he’s doing, his lips are pressed into Cas’ lips. His hands are in Cas’ hair, and he can’t pull himself away. 

Cas needs to know. 

It wasn’t one sided. 

Now that he’s had months and months to think about it, it was really never one sided. 

He pulls back and sees the surprise and shock written all over Cas’ face. 

“I love you, you goddamn idiot!” 

“Dean,” Cas says, and tears are welling in his eyes again, just like they were so many months ago. He leans his forehead against Dean’s and Dean leans into it. “I missed you.” 

“Yeah, back at you. Never ever pull that crap again. Making a deal with super angel hell? Come on, Cas. Never again.”

He feels tears running down his own cheeks as they wrap their arms around each other, and Dean’s not sure that either of them plan on letting go. 

As they do, the crowd around them starts applauding and cheering, and, at first, Dean thinks it’s for them, and he thinks, maybe, they should have moved away from the protest for this, but then everyone starts cheering,“Nevada’s blue! Nevada’s blue! Nevada’s blue!” 

Dean laughs and cheers, because even if it’s not his victory, Cas is, and he’s there anyway. “Well, way to go Lucy Hernadez!” 

“Yes,” Cas agrees. “I was speaking to the protesters while I was waiting for you. They gave me this sign. It seems some monsters are political policies.” 

“Yeah, well, we don’t hunt those ones,” Dean says. 

He looks up to see Jack and Sam walking towards them slowly as both keep looking away awkwardly and then looking back. He waves them forward. 

They both wrap Cas in a hug, and, as the revelry goes on around them, for the first time in a long time, they all feel whole.

**Author's Note:**

> Update Notes 11/12: 
> 
> 1\. I’ve been watching the show primarily through gifs since like s11 ...though I have tuned in to a few episodes primarily for Destiel, Jack being a precious cinnamon roll, and DadsTM reasons. But until this week had missed gifs of other universe Bobby talking about Trump being president. So I guess it went Rooney, Trump, someone else? Who knows what their world is. But I’m leaving this as is because I’m very excited about them having a woman for president
> 
> 2\. Also when I wrote this, I didn’t completely know what happened with Eileen in the episode but I’m going to say she came back when God was defeated, she and Sam are happily together, and she was just doing something else when this fic takes place.


End file.
